Milwaukee Bucks' Most Startling Statistics of 2014-15 Season so Far
Aside from the fact that the Milwaukee Bucks have already won nearly half of the games they did during the entire 2013-14 season, they have also posted some other startling—in both a good and bad sense—statistics through the early portion of 2014-15.
From a defense that has been tremendous to an offense that has been equally awful, the Bucks are certainly not a well-oiled machine.
However, with great play from the likes of Brandon Knight and the continued improvement of youngsters like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker, the team is much further along than most probably would have expected it to be in November.
All in all, if you're a Bucks fan, you certainly have to be encouraged by this start.
Now, for better or worse, let's look at what statistics have stood out the most during this early stretch.
Record
First things first: The most startling statistic for the Bucks so far is their record.
At 7-6, the team is nearly halfway to its win total from a season ago, and it seems to be much improved and more invigorated with Jason Kidd manning the helm.
Antetokounmpo and Parker have shown Bucks fans what's in store for the future by getting off to starts that everyone should be pleased with.
The Greek Freak, who struggled offensively in 2013-14, is averaging 12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists on an impressive 53.3 percent shooting from the floor. Given how raw he was last season on offense, Antetokounmpo's development on the offensive end has been impressive.
Meanwhile, Parker hasn't been the dominant offensive force that some may have expected, but he has played within himself and been a model teammate. It would be easy for him to hoist up shot after shot, but instead, the youngster is taking a modest 10 field-goal attempts per game, connecting on 46.2 percent of them and averaging 11.8 points.
And while their play has been a large part of the team's success, Knight has led the charge.
The 22-year-old point guard is posting an impressive stat line, averaging 17.9 points, 6.8 assists and 5.8 rebounds. His 3.8 turnovers per game are much too high, but his leadership on the court is showing. He is doing a much better job of orchestrating the offense, assisting on 34.6 percent of the team's possessions—which is a career high.
Certainly this start is unexpected, but it was always clear that the Bucks had the talent to be a decent squad.
With a great win against the Memphis Grizzlies under their belt—along with a win against a solid Miami Heat team—the Bucks haven't just been beating up the league's worst teams.
And in games they haven't won, for the most part, they've remained competitive.
It's fair to wonder if they can sustain this solid start. But in an Eastern Conference that's far from great, the thought of sneaking into the playoffs isn't as farfetched as it seemed about a month ago.
Stalwart Defense
Much of the team's early success can be attributed to the relentless defense it's been playing.
With a defensive rating of 100.9—which ranks fourth in the NBA—and allowing opponents to score just 96.4 points per game against them, it's been the team's ability to defend that has been the key contributor.
What might be most impressive about the Bucks' elite defense is the fact that no individual has really stood out as a defensive stopper.
Larry Sanders is off to a decent start, averaging 1.6 blocks, but it has really been a team collaboration.
Players are remembering to rotate and play help defense, and the effort from the likes of O.J. Mayo and Parker, who are far from great individual defenders, has been able to mask some of their personal inefficiencies.
The saying goes, "Defense wins championships." And while the Bucks are nowhere near being contenders for any sort of title, the fact that their defense is one of the first things that has begun to mesh is a very positive sign for the future.
As long as they can continue to defend and bring energy on that end of the court, everything else, including the offense, should fall into place over time.
An Inefficient Offense
For as good as the Bucks have been on defense—considering where they were last year—the team's offense hasn't been a source of pride.
After struggling to score, the team drafted Parker with the hope that he could immediately bring a consistent, polished scoring threat to the lineup every night.
So far—not by Parker's fault—the Bucks haven't been very efficient offensively.
Through the first 13 games, they are averaging just 96.4 points—which ranks 23rd in the league—and shooting a mediocre 44.7 percent from the floor.
They have an offensive rating of just 100.9, and their effective field-goal percentage is just 48.2. Both of these numbers rank in the bottom half, and that's something that must be improved upon.
Part of the efficiency problem can be tied to the fact that the Bucks don't have a true, reliable option as a source of scoring in the paint.
While Sanders has been able to avoid injury thus far, he hasn't produced much from a scoring standpoint. In fact, the big man is averaging just six points and has been horrendously inefficient for a player of his size, converting on just 41.1 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Milwaukee's best option for low-post scoring comes in the form of third-year man John Henson. However, Kidd has used the former University of North Carolina Tar Heels standout sparingly.
Logging just 12.4 minutes per game, Henson never seems to be able to get into a groove or stay on the floor for a long enough stretch to truly make an impact. Unlike Sanders, Henson's post game is relatively refined, and he has a soft touch around the rim. He also plays very well on the other side of the ball, averaging 1.3 blocks during those limited minutes.
Kidd's inconsistent use of Henson and, in general, odd rotation doesn't seem to make sense. However, it's also hard to argue with someone who led his previous team to a winning record in his initial season as a head coach.
And though he wouldn't be the cure for all of the Bucks' offensives woes, he would certainly help.
Henson's soft touch around the hoop is evidenced by the fact he's shooting 60.0 percent from the floor this season, and he converted 68.2 percent of his attempts at the rim a year ago.
Assuming that Henson gets more playing time and continues to develop in the post, he'll give the Bucks an added scoring option.
However, the rest of the team needs to step things up and begin asserting itself a little more on the offensive end. Thus far, Knight has been the only player who has been able to consistently give the team scoring. If the Bucks want to remain competitive, that simply cannot be the case.
Overall, though, fans have to be encouraged by the early play. Given that the team has been downright bad on offense most nights, the fact that it's above .500 just goes to show how good that defense is and how much potential this team has.
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